Airships
High in the Sky Thanks to various methods, airships have started to become a common occurrence. People of all walks of life use them for a variety of things aside from travel. Cargo ships have allowed for faster transport of goods, while small vessels allow sailors "fish" various creatures that call the sky home. But its not cheap. Renting a ship or paying for passage on a transport is not too bad, but getting your own ship may cost you a pretty copper coin. Aside from the cost of maintenance, fuel is not also not cheap, and no two ship are the same. Some create the lift with huge, loud propellers, while others have a giant, delicate balloon above the whole craft. Even though these marvels of Spell-Tech have made travel so much easier, many guidelines have been put in place. These policies and routes are always evolving and adapting to the times, with many in place to ensure safe travel through the world. Those more adventurous are still able to travel outside of these established routes, but at their own discretion and, in many cases, peril. The sky is not as clear as most would believe, despite how it looks on a sunny day, and the weather can change dramatically at high altitudes that many vessels are not designed to withstand. Aside from environmental dangers, there are also pirates that prey upon those foolish enough to steer a little off course. Steam The most common ship type is the steam powered engine. Despite its name, it actually doesn't actual steam, but a material called "Snow Cloud" or Shath (Dwarven for cloud). It was first "mined" by the Dwarves who realized the clouds around floating islands were different from normal atmospheric phenomena. The found that it could not only be used as material for crafting magical items, but also as fuel for their inventions. However, these types of engines are loud and clunky and constantly needs maintenance. It will get you from A to B, but expect to sneak up on any dragons with it. Shath for fuel for fuel is fairly easy to come by, but overtime, the cost of it and maintenance may not be worth it. New models improve fuel efficiency, but there's always a new model each year. Crystal Powered With just a marble sized Maji-Crystal, you can power a yacht size vessel for months. Much quieter, and flies smooth, crystal power engines have become popular with merchant guilds and transportation services needing to have their vessels operating for long periods of time without stopping for long. That said, these types of ships are very expensive, as Maji-Crystals are more expensive to refine then Shath, and also most dangerous if not handled correctly. Unrefined Maji-Crystals have been known to be quiet unstable, with many treating it like nitroglycerin. Once refined, it becomes more stable, and easier to focus its energies, but the total cost after all of that can almost afford a new ship. Because of the demand for Maji-Crystals for other uses, such as weapons, armour, and even some homes, its no wonder its in demand. As a result, crystal powered ships are often viewed as a luxury. Enchanted One day, someone must have thought to themselves, if I can enchant a carpet to fly, why not a whole ship? Well its possible, but it can cost a lot. If you just want to get a boat floating, and sail the wind like you would a normal water going vessel, then that a little easier. Its also a lot cheaper than people think. However, getting a ship to actually fly, not just float off the ground, that requires someone who is immensely powerful, or very patient. Like a magic carpet, or any other magical item, a caster, usually an Artificer, will have to spend weeks, in this case months, weaving the magical energies into the materials as its being build. So you need someone who is both a boat maker and a caster, which is quite a rare combination. But, if you manage all of that, or just find yourself lucky enough to get one of these types of ships, then you will most likely be flying around on a handsome fortune. or at least someone else's..